Jan 14, 2009

Chef Alex Atala opens Dalva e Dito restaurant in São Paulo



Chef Alex Atala's Dalva e Dito, officially launched this week, is, most definitely, THE restaurant opening of the season. Construction was very delayed - months and months, if not even a year! - and in that time, expectations grew.

Only a mere steps away from his flagship D.O.M., Dalva e Dito aims to serve ultra-perfected Brazilian comfort food. Simple food made by a huge brigade (70 cooks!) under the direction of Frenchman Alain Poletto, in an ultra-expensive and equipped kitchen (the restaurant reportedly cost 6 million reais, or more than 2 million dollars).

Dalva e Dito's open kitchen has very separate food stations, including one entirely devoted to sous vide.





Waiters have been trained to serve the dishes - big, family-style portions - tableside, in the traditional French manner. The signature dish is the roast chicken, roasted to perfection in what Atala calls "the Ferrari of roasters", a Rotissol rôtissoir flewn in from France.

The space is nothing short of beautiful. Modern, but not in a tired all-white minimalistic way. Very Brazilian, but not in a folksy or tacky way. Hats off to designer Marcelo Rosenbaum. I especially like the terrace shaded by ferns (pictured above).

The restaurant has a very big bar serving finger food, with a communal table:








Here are the chefs: Alain Poletto (left) and Alex Atala.




Dalva e Dito:
Rua Padre João Manuel, 1.115, Jardins, 3064-6183

More Atala on this blog:
Alex Atala serves Amazonian ingredients to Spanish chefs at D.O.M.
Interview with chef Alex Atala

1 comment:

  1. We are coming to Sao Paulo this week. The chef at our country club, Erik Copeland, met and was mentored by Alex Atala. Erik and Alex worked on a cruise ship when, Alex was a celebrity chef on a ship in the Windstar line. We hope to at least come by both of Mr. Atala's restaurants. Erik wanted us to pick up a menu if possible.

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